Through the eyes of the Blind
by TayuyaFanboy
Summary: A Blind Shinobi seeking revenge against the Leaf village. Four years he waited for a chance to waste the Leaf, and now was his chance - or so he thought...
1. Chapter 1

Through the eyes of the Blind.

A Naruto fan fiction

By: Tayuya fan boy.

Chapter one: A walk in the forest.

On a road, there walked a man. Not just any road, but a road that wound through the great forests of the Leaf Village. Today the road was quiet; save for this man there had not passed much traffic. The Leaf Village was not popular for its hospitality towards travelers and as such the roads to and fro was seldom busy, but today seemed as best; peculiar. Perhaps it was because a stranger had come to visit, or something stirred with in the village that had made this day seem uncharacteristic of a day in the Leaf's forest. What it may have been was of no concern to the traveling man. He had little intention to meddle in the affairs of the local shenobi, and was by him self no more than a weary traveler seeking an audience with the Hokage. Why? He would not say - even if asked.

How ever strange this day may have seemed, it would not appear as odd as the man walking the road. A quick glance and even the most untrained eye; not that many of those were watching the roads; could tell that he was not a local. He was not, not so far a local as the other villages were concerned either. No, his home was far and widely distant. Perhaps the reason for his strange apparel, yet one who seems odd in a place where odd could lead to death shrouded by mystery, is not all that wise. How ever, despite better judgment, the man had made no effort to appear in an appealing way. It was not that he did not wish to it was simply a matter of he could not; for the fact was that he was blind. Even if he wanted to appear as a local, he could not, for he has no idea what they look like. So, all his life, even all his travels in strange places, he had stuck to wearing the clothes that was his. It was traditional to his tribe and even though he had no way of telling what it seemed like, he had worn his clothes with the same distinctive pride as the other members of his tribe. That was; long cotton robes, of various colors, loose under shirts and pants, and the traditional masks that had practical uses in the dessert. His was of blue color, now long bleached and faded by the weathers of his travels, tied to his waist by a long yet thin sash that would appear to have little other uses. His mask, made from the fine silver found in his dessert home, covered for the most part his eyes; for which there were no slits; and the bridge of his nose while the rest of his face and neck was shaded by the blue linen that tied the mask to his head. He also wore a turban on his head, but the turban was of a special kind and was removed as rarely as his mask.

Yet as strange as he seemed; in these parts of the world; there were two other facts about this man that was particular and in a sense to others strange, besides his lack of sight. The first was; he never revealed his face to anyone. He had good reason why, but the reason that most people had accepted was because it is considered impolite to stare at a blind man's face. Yet, even though he does shun his pale eyes from the world, this was not his reason. The second was; he had no name. Yes, it does in fact seem strange; a blind man, always alone, who is a stranger by no name. He had a name, yet he had sworn his name for no one to know until the debts of his people would be settled. What debts? He would not say – even if asked.

He walked, the way he always walked, in a steady rhythmic pace. Most of the locals have lost the sensibility to walk, especially the way he walked. This was a trade he had learned from the wasting deserts of his home; run in the desert and the camels would find your corpse soon enough, probably eaten by the vultures. He had, since leaving his home behind, kept to the principles that was taught to him there. It took some time, but the results showed, not only in reaching one's destination but also in the patience that one is taught by an enlightening walk. However, the dust of these roads had the tendency to settle on his robe, and upon entering a village would make him appear to have little sense of what a wash is. He had, despite being in a constant state of worry for his hygiene, come to accept this as a sign of the long days he had spent traveling. He enjoyed traveling; not that he could see the world; but experienced it none the less. His travels had a purpose and would one day come to an end. The first key to the end of his travels was now not far off; in fact it was just around the next bend – the front gate of the Leaf village. All he had to do now was pass through, but this may not be as easy as just walking through the front door; or could it? When he had set out earlier, he had hoped it would be that easy. The idea was to ask for an audience with the Hokage, or at least entrance to the village and then spending some time walking the streets as a blind piper until the Hokage had time to see him. He had waited some time for an opportunity to see the Hokage, and now he was having second thoughts. Something about this day did seem . . . odd.

The Blind Piper stopped. Activity by the gate had caught the attention of his fine ears, the sound of voices, heartbeats and breathing trailed down the road. He was before the bend now, leaning against a tree out of sight from the road, listening more closely. Judging by the density of the bones that muffled their heartbeats, the piper could tell there were seven male, one female, and a mutt; the dog he had caught scent of now as well. Two of the men were distant from those who crowded the gate. 'Probably the gate guards.' He thought quietly.

The female's heart beat erratically, almost as if uncertain of how it is supposed to beat. Beating fast, then slow and soft, caught in a broken pattern. 'Was she heartbroken?' It sounded that way. The five males that stood by, caught in brief conversation, had their hearts beating rapidly. 'Preparing for combat.' Piper's thoughts stated his observation. The dog's emotions were the easiest to decipher. It was at the same time in a state of contentment, slight fear and excitement. One male, whom Piper had immediately identified as platoon leader, was assessing the best strategy to undertake; and it seemed as though he had a mind for tactics. However, due to unawareness his fine strategy had given away the entire purpose of his unit. The Piper was glad to have stumbled upon such a lucky find of situation. So, there was something stirring in the village. Call it a blind man's sense.

'Perhaps it would be worth to investigate their hunt?' Piper thought. 'It might give me some insight into what to expect of the Leaf shenobi. It might also buy me time, with the village in a state of alert, I doubt to find entrance easy. Perhaps if the dust had settled, I could try again.' He felt disappointed. Yet again had his purpose been halted by the purpose of another. 'Perhaps…' He thought up hope. '…If I could aid them in some circumstance, I might find favor with the village. Then passage would be as easy as walking passed the front gate.' Though not visible behind the linen of his mask, the Piper smiled, or rather more grinned in a pleased manner; if it was at all possible to see, it might have seemed like an evil, sinister grin. The Piper, as he so often did, disappeared.

It dawned on him only moments later, after he had settled his thoughts, to look for the one the Leaf shinobi was looking for. Passing the road he had not heard anything, and that did disturb him. He does not mind not seeing anything, for he could not from birth, but when his ears failed to notice, it gave him reason to implore why? 'Could it be that this shinobi, or rogue ninja, was simply that good?' He thought, as he hung away in the distance. He had to maintain an extensive distance for, as he learned, one among the platoon had the eyes he had heard rumored belonged to the Hyuuga clan; residents of the Leaf. This held particular interest for Piper; he had still to hear it in combat. 'No.' His thoughts trailed. 'There was only one who could evade my ears. An Anbu ninja, one I have a score to settle with.' He still could not locate the other ninja, but that was the thing about sound. Unlike sight, the ear has the ability to notice only a selected amount of sound, especially if other sounds were present. Above the rumbling feet of the ninjas ahead of him, it was difficult to hear anything else, but a well trained ear; such as his; could extend the range of its selection. They crossed some ground before Piper caught sound of the hunted, which appeared to have stopped briefly but was now moving again. Their feet, four pair by the sound of it, made less noise than that of the Leaf shinobi. All but two of their group. The first thumped loudly on the branches because of its heavy weight, and the other because it was encumbered by some form of wooden furniture. It was wooden, judging by the way it absorbed sound, was hollow on the inside and circular in construction. It had content, but about this he heard little. 'What did these thieves steal?' Piper thought quietly in the rear distance. 'Certainly the Leaf holds little prospects for endeavoring thieves. Unless you're into trait secrets, which are many people's business, but then one should hire more capable thieves, surely.' Little about the second group of shinobi was revealed to the Blind Piper, but facts about the Leaf's platoon streamed in; for them he had little concern, he sought to know why the Leaf would be under attack. It's been a while since he traveled this region, and news of the Leaf had eluded his ears, though only because he was out of range.

'I can not pass by these shinobi.' He thought to him self, listening to the thumping trail left behind by the Leaf platoon. 'I might move into the sight of that byakugan, and beside that, their hound may pickup on my scent despite being preoccupied with the enemies'. I could rouse their suspicion. I suppose I would have to curb my enthusiasm, for a little while, watching this play out from behind.' He gathered what he knew, listening as far off as his abilities permitted. They were headed away from the village in a hastily pace, moving in the direction of the border. There the Leaf had little authority, but what the Piper still could not decipher was their final destination. 'For some, the forest might be the final destination.' He thought. The shinobi groups sped across the branches, as Piper followed slowly behind, his sandals soundless and trackless on the floor of the forest.

He stopped abruptly. They had stopped abruptly. It appears one of the group's members had stopped to face the Leaf shinobi. Either they had a lot of confidence, with good reason, or they had no remorse for sacrificing one of the team. If the latter would have been true, then so would the first; yet most obviously, the Leaf was dealing with a ruthless group.

It was the heavy set male who had volunteered, although Piper had only now heard that he was male, and that was if he had volunteered. Judging by how he stood about with confidence nearly as big as he was, he had most certainly volunteered. Who would not be confident with a structure like that, but as a blind man might suggest; never judge by what you see, unless what you see is what you have heard. Something, however, seemed vaguely familiar about this man, as if he had heard of him before. 'Yes.' Piper's thoughts agreed as he hung back, listening in on the fight. 'Largely build, rude as an ox and a dangerous bandit. This must be Jirobo of the south gate, member of the sound four but…' Piper's thoughts paused, he was caught in uncertainty. 'What would Orochimaru want to steal from the Leaf? Surely his work with Sarutobi ended, slightly out of fashion, but had still ended.' Piper's thoughts trailed from the combat scene, and were surprised to find that the Leaf shinobi was caught in a clay dome when his senses returned. It was not surprising; Jirobo was a master of the Earth release jutsus and famous for being a chakra thief. Piper could tell that was his intention from the low hum of chakra flow that emanated from the earth dome. 'It would be interesting to know if the Leaf shinobi was aware of the chakra drain. It would tell a lot of their abilities if they were.' He thought. He had heard a lot of rumors about the sound fives, fascinating stories about their ability in combat and how they train on unwary travelers. The most fascinating was of course, Kimimaro and his unique blood limits. Then there was the others as well, Sakon and Ukon, that arachnid specialist and the Kunoichi that formed the whole of their unit. Loyalists to Orochimaru. However, he had only noticed four members, and was now certain that Kimimaro was missing; he would have easily recognized him, or at least the way his dense bone structure absorbed sound. The first time he had heard that unique talent, Piper was fascinated; being himself also unique because of his own blood limit. Other than that Kimimaro was a friend, only because they have had the opportunity to train together, once upon a time. Kimimaro was younger than him by a couple of years, and his own talent had surpassed that of Kimimaro. To date, Piper is aware, that he has been the only one to have broken Kimimaro's bones. To be precise, both his arms and several ribs, and some of the extras he was able to grow. Yet of course, this did little to hamper Kimimaro's fighting ability. None the less, Piper had found a serene and very enjoyable challenge in Kimimaro; it would have been one friendship he would have cherished, had Kimimaro not had other priorities. 'I should have to reassess my loyalties.' Piper thought, intrigued with how this day played out so far. 'Indeed, had thought this day held a strange tang to it.'

Piper's senses were restored once again by the sound of earth tearing apart. They escaped, it seemed. To what use though? Jirobo was a formidable talent, and with the rumors that Leaf shinobi had little talent; rumors that had started because of their failure to complete the chuunin exam, some time ago; this chase may as well end here. However, Piper did not entirely believe this, proven by him staying a while longer to see this play out. He may admit though, he stayed purely out of curiosity to learn exactly what Orochimaru would want from the village. A new vessel perhaps? Orochimaru's hunger for power certainly did not limit himself to mortality. 'Yes indeed, Death is a charming fellow.' He thought. 'Hard to elude, but easy to persuade.' Combat out in front on the forest floor had come to a short stand off; it seemed that the Leaf shinobi was intent to split their group as well. Moments passed, the group shod off once again on the high branches. Another reason Piper had stayed was for the opportunity to see the byakugan in action; it was the fourth eye he had learned of and hoped for the opportunity to see its talent in action. He was not being granted this yet, as a fat kid had stayed behind to face Jirobo. He had no interest in seeing this kid get slaughtered, so he quietly snuck away to follow the others.

It took Piper precious time to catch up once again, by which time the Leaf shinobi was already caught in Kidomaru's famous spider nets. It seemed these Leaf idiots had the tendency to fall into traps. Piper almost thought it was intentional, but that would be an insult to the sound ninja. He stood by idly, quietly within the shadows. He knew they could not see him, except for that Hyuuga kid. He leaned against a tree, listening in. The group had split once again, and this time Piper's wishes came true, as the Hyuuga stayed behind. It was apparent that his gentle fist techniques were well suited to challenge Kidomaru; this should be interesting. The fight continued, and Piper could not believe his luck, or his ears. This Hyuuga kid was a few talents short of being a genius, but certainly had the confidence. Piper had learned that the byakugan has its weakness, which Kidomaru exploited, but made up for it when it counted. 'No, this kid is up to his neck in it.' Piper thought. The Hyuuga did surprise him in the end though. 'Perhaps these rumors of a weakened Leaf, is not true after all. I did perhaps under estimate their abilities. Also on account that Jirobo have not come stomping by yet.'

Piper stepped out from the shadows, his steps, as always, silent and trackless. He came to stand between the two bodies that lay in the dust, both were dead. On the cheek of the Hyuuga rested a small leaf. 'The leaf is calling to its own.' Piper thought, his face expressionless in the sight of death. 'Maybe he could still live. It would be a waste to see such talent go to waste.' He stood over the Hyuuga now, peering through the veils of his mask. For a moment Piper wished he could see if only to glance upon the fourth eye of legend. He was content not to though, but wished now rather for the chance to fight against it. The same way he would get the chance to face the Sharingan, one day. 'Of course…' It dawned on him. '…That's what Orochimaru is after. The sly, yet intelligent, bastard.' Piper smiled faintly, though not visible.

Piper sat down, legs crossed, back turned to the Hyuuga's corpse. He fished out his flute from the inner pockets of his robes, and began to play a soundless song. No one could hear this song, except those who are beyond the living; but that was only rumored to be so in legend. Piper had never heard the Death song him self, but he knew how to play it, and played it often. He finished the song, there was feint sounds of almost non existing footsteps behind him followed by the clink of a coin dropped in the dust. 'Yes.' Piper thought. 'Death is a charming fellow. Hard to elude, easy to persuade. Just play him a song only he can hear, and he will leave a coin and a soul untouched. Or so is said the legend of the Death song.' Piper grinned. He did it again. Piper fetched the coin from the dust, felt it with his fingers and put it away, along with his flute. The coin held the face of the Hyuuga. He left behind the corpse of Kidomaru; and the Hyuuga kid with the leaf still resting upon his face; as he went in search of the remaining groups, if there were any remains.

Some distance away he found traces of movement, shrouded by the scent of a hound. It appeared that the ninja with the hound had taken a detour towards the river, accompanied by Sakon and Ukon. He was interested in pursuing them, but had already collected what he sought. The coin in his pocket would proof to be an adequate bargaining chip, with it he could buy his way into the Leaf village. Surely, the Hokage would be concerned with the life of a fellow shinobi, but entrance this way might seem rude. Deeper into the forest, Piper became aware, sounded with battle. Several explosions, probably from paper bombs and smoke grenades, had caught his attention. Somebody was certainly caught in a furious fight. 'Possibly that scruffy kid with the loud mouth.' Piper thought, but was not entirely certain. He chose to investigate rather deeper into the forest, it did seem as though Sakon and Ukon had their opponent silent. He approached the combat scene cautiously, catching wind of flute music. He froze; no one he knew among the sound five played the flute, so far as he heard rumors. It was a strange melody, appearing to have no musical structure. It sounded; at most simple way to describe it; as if the flutist played selective notes in an unstructured pattern; it seemed odd. The notes appeared random, but the more Piper listened he was able to gather the structure and purpose of the music; it was, he deducted, a puppeteer charm. 'Oh, you sly piper.' He thought, smiling in fascination. He closed in on the scene, the music becoming louder. The flutist was certainly capable of maintaining good breath control, not expecting less of a puppeteer technique's requirements, but this person played without a single pause. "Fascinating!'

Piper pitched his ears, there was no sign of the opponent but this was probably because he was hiding; however, the sounds of the flute did make it difficult to perceive the details of the fight, mostly concerning the flutist. The music stopped, there was a scuffle as the opponent appeared, followed by a successive poofing sound. The puppets disappearing. It was the platoon leader that had taken on this fight, which meant that the scruffy kid had gone on ahead, but Piper was not sure why. The wooden baggage was also gone. 'Perhaps Kimimaro awaited them from the edge of the forest, to carry away the…coffin?' Piper thought. 'So, Orochimaru did collect a vessel. Not using you, Kimimaro? No, you're too weak by now, aren't you?' He was aware of Kimimaro's condition, and hoped silently to get the chance to pay him a final goodbye. Something happened up ahead, the same strange tang in the air he had sensed earlier, and had experienced moments before, tainted the air of the forest. He noticed now that the flutist was female, a kunoichi – the only kunoichi of the sound five; Tayuya. He had heard little of her, except that she was a rude, foul mouthed bitch. He had never crossed paths with anyone who had faced her in combat yet, and there for knew little of the jutsus that she possessed. The sounds of cloth sailing through the wind reached him; she had just unleashed her cursed seal. 'This might be interesting to see.' Piper thought. 'Indeed, what a day.' He grinned. 'A coin and a show; a show of a fine specimen.' He attempted to scan Tayuya with his available senses as far as his ability could let him, he was hopeful to be the first to tell tales of her ability. Another feat he could tuck into his sash; it was thought that no one ever survived after a run in with this girl. 'Probably never had a boyfriend? No doubt he can hear the Death song, if she ever had one.' Piper wanted to laugh, but was certain they would hear him; not at any time a good thing. 'So, little Tayuya, what songs can you play?' He listened…

There was talk, then the battle resumed. A new song played, one with enchanting quality and a slightly, in a strange way, beautiful melody. Piper listened closely, and then became aware of the sound's quality. Shock traveled through his body; it started at his ears and tingled down to his toes and made his neck hair stand erect. 'Genjutsu!' His thoughts chocked. 'And one that targets my major sense! This is it. So that is the last thing one would hear, go figure.' He prepared to resist, it was not intent to target him, but he could become a victim none the less. The sound traveled like an avalanche towards him, ready to plunge him to certain death. "Release!" Piper spat under his breath, poised to reject her Genjutsu while he hoped no one heard him. It worked, but only barely. He pitched his ears; the song had stopped, there was movement but not in his direction. She was too busy collecting yet another victim to notice him, rather thankfully Piper relaxed. 'That was close.' The battle was not over, by the sound of it. She was now caught in his trap. 'How did he…' He noticed his broken finger, and then reality dawned on him. 'A shadow bender!' Piper's eyes, if it was visible, grew rapidly, threatening to leave no space for his face. It took him several breaths to calm him self; his heart beated madly and he began to sweat. 'Would this one have the answers I'm looking for?' Piper thought, he had trouble focusing as his thoughts paced a thousand words a second. Old glimpses of a time he had wished to forget, but could never let go, flashed before his eyes. Piper could see… Piper could relive…those moments. 'Does it matter?' He said to his own mind; his hand had slipped under his robe absent mindedly, gripping the hilt of his sword. He could not release his tight grip; his hand would not let him, his heart paced. He tried again, still no reaction from his hand. He had to calm down; he could not let his anger and anxiety control or conflict with his actions. 'Later.' He attempted to persuade his hand. 'Soon.' He began to relax, then: 'NOW!' His mind yelled. He could not control him self as his hand swung out his sword from underneath his robe. He began walking towards the two struggling figures in a cold, slow pace. Murder was on his mind, and it clouded his conscious thought process. His senses awakened, more than it has for years – it's been a while since his last episode. What, it must have been four years to the day? That did not matter though; all he saw was his need to shed the blood of that vile, wretched shadow bender. Then he heard it, it was far away but closing in rapidly. Three more shinobi, possibly backup. His mind returned slowly, yet surely. When he came about, he found himself standing a few feet away from the battleground. The approaching shinobi had forked their movements; one headed for the river, the other this way, and another seemed to avoid any contact as it headed out front. Piper disappeared; his sword snuggled back in place on his back. 'Perhaps I should store my sword where my hand could not find it, next time.' He thought idly, as he returned to a distant look in spot. He returned his attention to the battle in front, where the new reinforcement had just shown up. Tayuya had retreated to a safe distance, and was probably planning to employ a second Genjutsu assault. Piper wanted to leave, but decided to stand by. Maybe he could see more tricks be pulled from Tayuya's elusive bag. The new arrival was female and, by the sounds of her heart beat, was familiar with this shadow bender. 'Let's not go there again.' Quite familiar, it seemed.

She had a strange weapon with her, a fan. 'So like a girl.' Piper thought sarcastically. 'However, if this one uses wind style jutsus, Tayuya might be in for it. She does not have any weapons, other than her flute, which means wind is the superior force here.' He listened closely as combat resumed, but knew Tayuya would not survive. Not only is she out matched, but also out numbered. 'It would be sad to play witness to the demise of a fellow flutist, and we have a common enemy. No doubt she would seek revenge.' Piper began to convince himself. He was a good guy, only a little misunderstood. 'Why not? I suppose. I did save the life of a Leaf shinobi; it would only be fair to repay the sound in kind. Should not though, expect a reward from Orochimaru.' Piper snickered. He readied himself, awaiting the perfect moment to snatch her out of combat.

Winds stormed through the trees cutting the forest to ribbons, Tayuya was the obvious target but it seemed as though this kunoichi had forgotten that. Piper saw his chance, and grabbed it. Two strikes had hit Tayuya by the time he was able to grab her, tearing into her flesh. He had to make a starting run, jumped in, grabbed her and skidded off a flying log, landing on the outskirts of the wasted battlefield. He came through unscaved, moving too fast to be touched by the piercing winds. He propped the unconscious body of Tayuya against a tree, and leaned in to listen if he could find her flute. It laid some distance away, among the rubble of logs and leafs. He dashed in, collected the three pieces and disappeared again. He pulled Tayuya over his shoulder, her blood soiling his robe to make it appear almost purple in color. He paused to listen if they had spotted him; they did not. They were too busy noticing each other, to notice his fast movements. He shook his head as he walked away, disappointed about the amount of destruction caused by the kunoichi's attack. 'What can you expect of a desert dweller?' He thought to himself.

He had to stop for a moment to tend to Tayuya's wounds, and did so a short but safe distance away. She suffered for the most part only flesh wounds, deep but nothing serious. Piper suspected that her pride may have taken a bigger knock, and of course her flute was damaged. 'Nothing I can't fix.' Piper thought, running his fingers over Tayuya's flute. Though he would do that later, first there was the case of her broken body. He paused, for some time, after he kneeled beside her. He had studied numerous medical journals and books; it was a common trade in his home desert; and knew how to treat her, but it was just that he had never worked on a female before. Sure, the books he had read and studied did cover unisexual medical knowledge, but it was not the knowledge that lacked. He was not sure about the correct manners. 'Should I wake her and ask for permission to tear her shirt off?' He thought, but she would be in immense pain. 'I could concoct an herbal pain killer. I still have some of the herbs that Sasori sold me.' While his thoughts wavered, so did she. He decided that he would remain discreet. 'Tear her shirt off, but cover her again. It's not like she can accuse me of anything, I can barely see. I would have had to feel my way around though.' Piper thought, and then was confronted by thoughts he has not had much experience with. He tore her shirt off in any case, putting his thoughts aside. The first and major wound she had suffered spread across her chest. It felt almost like an askew sword wound, starting below her shoulder all the way down into her left rib cage, avoiding the most part of her… Strange and unfamiliar thoughts crossed his mind again. He had come to know these things simply as pectoral glands, other men had several words to describe it; he preferred his own, it led to less distractions. She was loosing blood, he had to act and not dwindle on his thoughts. He straightened his mind, as he began sewing her back together with the supplies from his medical pouch. No one knew exactly where he stored anything on his person, but it never seemed as though he carried anything on him. This was his method of avoiding the hassle of having to teach a thief a few lessons, and where he walked so did many thieves. After her wound was sown up, he treated it with a soft gel. It was a herbal mixture from the desert he knew as his home, which aided recovery, cleansing and ensured that scars would not remain afterwards. He repeated the procedure on her second wound, which was located across her thigh. It spread from a few inches above her knee cap, curling around her thigh to her hip. While sewing her wound shut, Piper noticed that her lower back was also wounded. It sounded as if her lower vertebra was broken. This, Piper deducted, must have happened when he grabbed her; at that speed he is capable of applying enough force. He broke Kimimaro's arms in the same way, so it came as little surprise to him. To treat this, he would have to make a strong carriage that would be capable of holding her back in place while he carried her. He clothed her in a spare robe that he pulled from his traveling bag, and went in search of wood to build what he had in mind. He had to hurry, he knew, by now the cleaning crew would be sweeping the forest for her remains. He returned quickly, she was still fast asleep groaning with pain. 'Yes, I will give you that painkiller as soon as you're awake.' He thought as he began timbering the carriage together. He was an excellent carpenter, this he had learned through his travels doing day end jobs where ever possible.

Moments later the Blind Piper was walking again, Tayuya tightly strapped in the carriage he had swung across his shoulders. He was aiming to be at the sound village by sun down, and had to make up a lot of lost time; especially if he wanted to return to the Leaf with his bargaining chip. Everything was back on track, he had luggage but this he would shake off momentarily. In fact, things were much better; he had found a way into the Leaf village. That was something he had sought to find for four years, and was denied several times. Yet, now with the new Hokage taking seat, and her having a reason to see him, things might just go his way, he hoped. The Leaf had eluded him far too long, and he would not let anything get in his way again.


	2. Chapter 1 Part 2

Ahead of him was a clearing. Several Shinobi was standing by; surrounding what would seem to be a corpse floating in mid air. The ground was covered with foreign sand, sand that Piper had immediately recognized as desert sand, but not the sand from his home. No, this was different. He stood in the distance, listening in. Then he realized what had happened here. It was Kimimaro, and he was dead. Piper found his anger rising again. 'Who did this?!' He thought. He sighed, gave his old friend a final goodbye, and decided it is best to settle the score later. He walked away, just in time, as it sounded as if the cleanup crew was approaching in the distance. Piper began sprinting away, his steps quiet and trackless. He came to a waterfall just ahead of the clearing, where another body was being retrieved from the river. It was the scruffy kid, Piper realized. 'What happened to him?' Piper thought, he had no idea what took place here, and could not form any shape of a theory. He left, no need to tally in this region. As he sped away, Piper noticed that the kid was not dead, only exhausted.

He had covered some distance when he realized that he was being tailed. Four shinobi, he heard their footsteps on the high branches. It seemed they must have discovered him, or some trace that was leading them here. He had no time to evade them, they approached too fast. He was able to hide Tayuya and the carriage before they arrived, and had a moment to prepare for combat as well; he did this by placing a few traps, in case it came about that he would need to use such tactics. His traps consisted of marking a number of surounding trees with runes that would seem strange for the locals; if they were capable of seeing its invisible ink. The runes Piper used were his own native language, and were used in conjunction with his unique jutsus. He had placed six in total, selecting a wide spread amount of trees as hosts, while he stood to await their arrival in the centre of what he determined would be the battlefield. It was less than six square meters from flank to flank; he rarely had need to expand his field of attack beyond these measures, as most opponents did not progress beyond his level of taijutsu.

They arrived shortly, with the oldest and apparent leader of their group moving out in front, while the three others had remained hidden. Piper was aware of their presence though, and expected that they were not aware of his keen hearing. Why would they be? One does not meet a blind traveler on regular intervals, now does one? He assessed them with his available senses: Their leader was female, as was the entire group, had long hair and several kunai and shuriken hidden on her person; he could hear its feint clink of metal. He recognized her as the Leaf's Genjutsu specialist, Kurenai. The other three varied widely, and seemed as though they were just a quick selection of available shinobi that was selected as the cleanup crew. 'They rarely fought together.' Piper thought, his deduction possibly accurate. One had her hair tied in two buns; carried paper rolls with her and had a selection of long range weapons at hand. The second member had long hair; which seemed thin in structure the way the wind swooped through it; with a fringe that could cover nearly her entire face. She had no weapons that made any sounds, and as Piper thought, might be a mid range shinobi. The third one had captured his fancy, and for good reason. She had short hair and, by the way her heart pulsed, seemed to dislike combat, but the one thing that caught Piper's attention was her eyes; she was a Hyuuga. If she shared any likeness to her brother's techniques, then it might be fun to take her on for a round of taijutsu. How ever, Piper was reluctant to go that far, she seemed to be too timid and weak to challenge, and it would be a disgraceful waste of effort; little effort; to defeat her in combat.

Kurunai dropped in front of him while he stared blindly in no particular direction. "Tell your three friends to show their faces." He stated coldly as Kurenai approached. She gave a long, hard look. "No." She replied in kind. "First state your business." He thought so. Piper moved into an attack stance, shifting only his left leg to the rear of his body while keeping his hands loosely by his sides.

"Before we continue, I must say that I am an enemy of the Leaf, but you will decide how this is going to end." Piper said, his strong voice rigidly calm. She had not moved into any position, and had stood six feet away. She too was calm, and obviously familiar with combat.

"Tell me." She said. "Why is a blind man an enemy of the Leaf?"

"It is a dark and long story." He stood in place, his voice still and calm. "Yet, I will say it is the reason for me lurking near the village. I had sought to change my status, but found that the village was in a state of alert, and an enemies approach at such a time may raise suspicions."

"Indeed." She agreed. 'He seems legitimately straight forward.' Kurenai thought. 'But I can't place him as any enemy that the Leaf is looking for, but he may have aided the sound shinobi.'

"I was not intent on seeking a battle." Piper sighed. "But it seems we are confronted with a situation that is going to end in one, either way we look at it." 'She is obligated to capture me, by tradition of the shinobi, and if it were to be discovered, I am harboring a Leaf fugitive.' He thought and continued. "So, how about we make this a worthy battle." She had now moved into an attack stance, her hands rose to her chest, ready to fight. Piper slipped his hand into his robe's left chest pocket, where he stored his flute and coins. Kurenai must have thought he reached for a weapon as she, in a quick shift of her hands, flung a pair of shuriken towards his throat. The shuriken dropped to the ground, clanging near his feet while his hand remained in his pocket, extracting the coin of the Hyuuga kid. 'How did he…' Kurenai thought, she had not even seen him move a single muscle.

"Earlier, I had come across a Leaf shinobi's corpse." He said as if nothing happened. 'Was he even aware of the shuriken?' Piper continued. "And decided to spare his life." He held up the coin so that Kurenai could see it.

"And, do you wish mercy for your act?" Kurenai studied the coin, not sure what to make of it.

"No, certainly not. I was but fascinated with his eyes." Piper said, aware of the way it must have sounded to her. Yes, a blind man with a fascination for eyes; it can not be stranger. "His eyes were special, native to the Hyuugas."

'Neji!' Hinata thought. Piper could hear her heart skip several beats. "But, he is alive."

'So, she cares.' Piper thought, a soft smile formed under the linen if his mask.

"The coin I hold in my hand." He continued, rolling the coin through his fingers. "Holds extraordinary powers. Destroy it, and the Hyuuga kid shall die. Keep it, and he lives, unaware of the possible end he might come to. That however, is only some of the powers held by the Silver Coin of the Dead. My proposal is simple."

"Go on." Kurenai said, eyeing the coin skeptically.

"We battle, and the prize for the victor shall be this coin. If I win, all of you will die along with the Hyuuga. You defeat me, and the Hyuuga's life is in your hands." Piper said, he could not make his voice ring with more harsh coldness than he did. "What do you say? Ready to gamble?" Piper had heard the Hyuuga daughter's heart had stopped beating several times; she was deathly afraid. Kurenai waved a hand and her assembled squad appeared behind her, ready to do combat.

"Good" Piper smiled. He pounced on his first target, Kurenai, the one that would be the hardest challenge, but he had a fight in mind and it did not include her. She barely had time to react; Piper was on her too quickly. She saw his image blur for a moment and then he was in front of her, two feet off the ground bringing his right leg down on her left shoulder with tremendous force. It connected and Piper could feel her bones cracking underneath his heel. Time stood still, she saw him blur again. This time he had spun around in mid air and kicked her same shoulder with the toes of his other foot, slightly closer to her chest. She could not react, he was too fast to see him even move. The amount of force he struck with was tremendous, and it did hurt; he had possibly broken her shoulder all ready, and only a second had passed, if it was that long. He was sudden blue blur then he stood on hand, sliding is legs under Kurenai, sending her falling to the ground. He blurred and stood before her, gripping her in a tight hug, swiveled as if they were dancing and threw her towards a distant tree. She moved at an astounding speed but was able to stabilize her self, intent on skipping of the tree to safety. Piper step back into a crouch as his fingers danced, performing the activation jutsu of the trap that awaited Kurenai's landing against the tree. "Ninja art, Light style, Light burst!" The rune on the face of the tree hummed as it turned blue, just before it burst into a blast of searing hot light. Kurenai landed as the burst exploded, engulfed in the light for the moment before she skidded away. The light scorched her, burning her back and flanks. She landed in the dust of the forest floor some feet away from the tree, yelping softly so only she could hear it. She was in pain, not only from the burns but her shoulder hurt as well, and did not want her squad to know. They were in trouble, and Kurenai did not want to add to the panic by showing her comrades any weakness. She did not believe that any of her group could face up to this shinobi, if he was a shinobi. For the moment, Piper knew, Kurenai was out of the fight, preparing to use a genjutsu but he was not going to allow that. He did not need that much time, as he moved into a new attack stance; standing completely erect in front of the remaining group with his palm stretched out before him. The three girls had barely noticed what played out before them; all they saw was their leader plummeting into an exploding tree. The tree was unaffected by the blast, it was made to burst outward to its intended target, causing no amount of damage to befall the host tree. Piper's fingers danced once more. "Ninja art, Light style, Prismatic Palms!" He commanded, and his palms burst with a similar fashion of light, shaped in a cone that burst into the faces of the girls. The light seared through the air, reaching its targets before they had a chance to evade the blast. They dashed away and collapsed of pain in mid run, where they fell trying to sooth the burns of their wounds. They were mostly unhurt, suffering minor burns to their middle bodies; as Piper intended to strike them. Now only the Hyuuga stood before him, her heart pulsed bewildered and appeared to be uncertain about what happened. Piper relaxed; he did not want to kill any one today; and came to stand in front of Hinata. He was not poised to strike, and stood calmly facing her. She raised her hands uncertainly, looking at him through her byakugan. She launched an attack, but Piper caught her hands by the wrist; aware of the danger her palms held; and calmly lowered her hands.

"Are you really prepared to hurt a blind man?" He asked, his voice kind and soft, the way it had not been the entire day. He did not wait for an answer. "Of all those present, you have the most extraordinary talent, and would be the only challenge." He released her. "If you only learned to fight with the confidence of your brother." The others were struggling to their feet. Kurenai was in the process to recover, but had some time before she could rejoin the fight. Piper paid them little heed as he stepped away from Hinata. He could not hurt her, even if he wanted to; that he knew. He clutched the coin between his fingers, rubbed it one last time and flipped it towards Hinata. She caught it, her face an expression of surprise.

"You owe me a life." He stated, his voice cold once more. "I will return to collect it." Hinata looked dully at the coin and looked back at the stranger, but he was gone.

"Thank you." She said shyly to no one in particular. Kurenai returned from behind, clutching her shoulder. Soot covered her back and legs, but she seemed fine. Kurenai had no need to ask questions, she had seen everything. "Sensei." She said. Kurenai turned her attention to Hinata. "I have never seen any one with that much chakra welled up inside them. He is dangerous, isn't he?" Kurenai did not answer her, she saw no need to. "Do you think he will return?"

"I think you can count on that." Kurenai smiled at Hinata reassuringly. "But, if he wanted to hurt you, then you would have died today."

"But, I owe him a life." Hinata sighed, looking at the coin. Its face was that of Neji, and its tail was etched with a strange rune that she has never seen before.

"I think many people owe him a life." Kurenai replied.

Piper was far ahead when he heard Hinata's reply, returning to the unconscious Tayuya. 'You're welcome.' He thought. 'I'll be seeing you, Hyuuga.'

Tayuya was awake, struggling furiously to escape the confines of her carriage, groaning of pain in between breaths. He approached her cautiously, his steps silent and trackless. Before him was the cause of his entire day's turmoil. She was the one who caused the village's state of alert, and now was the reason he had to give away one of his precious coins. He was not sure what to do with her. Now that she was awake, he could release her to herself, so she may return to the sound on her own, while he had to find a new way into the Leaf. Four years wasted. He was angry, but seemed calm on the surface. He knew he could not hurt the Hyuuga daughter, but this one was different. Tayuya was unaware of his presence, wrestling with the carriage; there was no escaping the confines of his construction, Piper knew.

'Maybe I should just end this here, right now.' He thought, his hand slipping into his robe, resting on the hilt of his sword…


	3. Chapter 2 Part 1

Through the eyes of the blind.

By: Tayuya fan boy

Chapter Two:

Tayuya was familiar with many things; the sound of her flute, the smell of blood pooling in the dirt, the feel of steel in her neck, the stench of death – the list was long; but this was a feeling she had never had need to familiarize with – being tied down. No one has ever had the gal to do this to her, they did threaten her, call her names and even stuck a knife in her; and all of them had not lived long and prosperously; but no one has ever trapped and left her to the wolfs. She hated it, and who ever was responsible for this was going to die, slowly.

She had woken to the sound of a soft explosion somewhere distant, vaguely recollecting pictures of before she fainted. There was a storm of winds, pain in several places of her body and the sudden appearance of a blue streak – then she had fainted. She felt as if she was home, lying in a warm, comfortable bed, and would be sitting down to a wholesome breakfast shortly. It was a feeling she had never known, and thought for a moment that she was dead and in some form of paradise; that was until she remembered who she was, and about the day she had. Did she survive? It was a question still to be answered. Thoughts crossed her mind rapidly, questions of what was taking place. Thoughts of how that groping little son of a whore was dragging her to some cave to do who knows what to her, also crossed her mind, but she thought too much of what he is worth. No, something else was going on, and it scared her that she did not know exactly what was taking place. Her thoughts subsided slightly as she tried to glance around – that was when she realized that she was tied down, very tightly and unable to move. Her feelings returned at the same time, becoming aware of the two painful wounds on her chest and thigh. Something else also dawned on her; she had no feelings in her legs, and her back ached as if a horse had trodden on her. She feared the worst, and suspected that it was true.

Despite her in ability to move, she was able to determine that she was still in the Leaf forest. She decided that she had to escape, even if it meant that she would have to crawl away on her fingers. She began struggling with the straps of the comfortable bed; or cage, she rather thought; attempting to remove her arms from their confines. She struggled despite her body's senses screaming for mercy, cussing in between breaths. No matter how hard she tried, this thing was relentless and did not want to release her. It reminded her of Kidomaru's unbreakable webs. How ever, despite the pain, she did not stop struggling; until she heard the sound of a blade sliding out its sheath. She froze, the noise came from behind her, but nothing else made a sound, and she became aware of how her heart began pacing uncontrollably. She laid back, stopped struggling and blew her fringe out of her eyes. Her heart slowed down as she calmly awaited her end. 'At least I die in a comfortable bed.' She thought.

"Go ahead, what are you waiting for? Do it all ready." She spat in a harsh tone.

'Incredible.' The Blind Piper thought. 'One moment she struggles, and the following she is ready to die.'

"If I was in my right mind, I would do it." Piper said. "But I have not been in that state since I was four years old." His sword clicked back in place. A sight of silver and blue appeared over Tayuya's face and she suddenly rose from the ground as Piper drew the carriage over his shoulder. 'You should stop struggling; you're only delaying your recovery."

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" Tayuya demanded to know, trying to wriggle out of the carriage. Neither her questions nor her efforts produced any results, and she was forced to go along, despite her reluctance. It was comfortable at least, and it was not everyday that she was being carried around on someone's back. It was an odd feeling, but Tayuya felt that she could get used to it; if only she knew this stranger's intentions. She tried to make sense of what was happening, starting with what she knew. It must have been this stranger that had jumped in and saved her from an ending in the forest earlier, but she did not know why he would do such a thing. By the look of things, they were heading towards the sound village, which possibly meant that he was taking her home, or he may have been reinforcement that had followed Kimimaro, but the sound was not the kind to send backup.

'Did he dress my wounds? And then me?' Tayuya thought to her self, as the trip moved on quietly. She was not used to someone being so quiet; it's probably been about an hour since he had spoken, and she had not felt strong enough to fill the silence. He did at least loosen her arms, and had given her some medication to suck on, which numbed the pain, but he had barely acknowledged her existence. It was during that time that she had realized she wore different clothes, and that her wounds have been bandaged as well as treated. 'Great, first that scoundrel shadow bender gropes me in the middle of a fight, and then some strange, mad man takes advantage of me while I'm out cold.'

"I'm hungry." She demanded, but heard no reply. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, and this was about the same time yesterday that she had eaten. "Well, if you're going to kidnap me, you sack of…" A hand appeared from over his shoulder holding a bread loaf, before she could finish her sentence. 'Where did he get this?' She thought 'Does he do everything while walking? He did mix those herbs, but I don't think he can bake while walking.' She took it eagerly, stuffing her mouth with out a second thought.

"I'm not kidnapping you." Piper broke his silence. "I'm taking you home."

"I know." She said, with her mouth full of bread, chewing wildly. The Leaf forest was disappearing behind them, opening the way into long grass fields that stretched over several hills. Piper continued to walk, keeping to himself while Tayuya finished the loaf of bread. Piper was not always keen on having company, but it was not because he sought to avoid society; most people did not understand his silent nature and never grew to like him much. For this reason, he had few friends, and seeing Kimimaro dead had meant that he had lost one of those few. He was sad to see him go, and could do nothing to prevent it; Piper was disgusted by not having the chance to say a proper goodbye, which would have been a friendly duel and a decent meal, according to his traditions. Kimimaro was one of the few who understood Piper's silent nature, and that was not only because of his defective sight and excellent hearing. There were other reasons why Piper rarely spoke to his company, yet these reasons had remained his own to keep.

Tayuya had also kept little company through out her life, but this was mostly because they had the tendency to stab her in the back; literally, while she was sleeping. When she joined the sound gang, it was not because of the company; she despised each of the group and never came to like them. No, she joined the sound because it seemed her only option at the time, and was confronted with little other choice, but at least she was well fed and taken care of; and not to mention the amount of power the curse mark had given her. However, now that the group lied as scattered corpses; as far as she knew; and she being the only survivor; thanks to this stranger; it did seem as if her home has been taken away. No doubt Orochimaru was not going to welcome her back; not now that he has exactly what he was looking for. She was faced with the same decision as before, but first she would have to teach this groping, sack of shit a lesson before she went her own way, and that would mean abusing his kindness until she was healed and ready. Something did intrigue her about this man, perhaps it was because he had shown her kindness; so few did; but despite his actions, she was not about to let go of the fact that he tied her up.

They had walked, or rather Piper walked while Tayuya enjoyed the free ride, until night had fallen and the hills had disappeared from Tayuya's sight. Even then it seemed to her as if Piper was not intent on taking any stops; he was not, but he had fallen behind schedule and could not reach the sound village in the time he had hoped he could. This was because of his luggage – with the kunoichi awake Piper could not make use of high speed travel, especially not in her condition. When they had arrived on the banks of a river, Piper had taken course to find a secluded spot where he could set up camp and prepare dinner. He traveled most nights, and during his travels stopped only to prepare full meals, but tonight was different; as the day had turned out. One thing was certain; Piper had not expected company for dinner. Thus he had to make quick adaptations to his plans; which he had hoped would have ended somewhere within the walls of the Leaf, but not all things go according to plan – and the reason for that was riding on his back.

Piper had selected a quiet clearing on the bank of the river as a camp site, where he was certain they would not be bothered by wild animals or night traffic, and it would be a decent place to rest. It would also be a good place to finish Tayuya's treatment so she could go her own way in the morning, despite Piper's hope that she may decide to stay a while – he had not yet repaired her flute. He could do that tonight, but he was slightly more concerned with setting up camp and making a decent dinner. Piper's people have been known for their hospitality and he was not intent on letting tradition get lost. Besides that, Tayuya shared a common enemy and could be instrumental in his task of infiltrating the Leaf village; she had done so recently after all, she might have a few ideas. First, however, Piper would have to win her trust, but he felt there was no need; Tayuya owed him more than she had to give.

Piper removed the carriage from his shoulder, setting Tayuya swiftly, but gently, down on the ground, facing the river. The sickle moon shined on the clear water, making it seem even softer than normal; had Piper the eyes, he would have appreciated it. Tayuya on the other hand did not, she glanced around the surrounding area, suspicious of what Piper was intent on doing here, but she noticed nothing out of the ordinary. She was still hungry, but the bread he had given her helped to keep her mouth shut, and had her thoughts consumed by her need. Right now she cared little as to his intentions, being only slightly suspicious, yet his actions thus far had only been good intent; even if she felt slightly violated because of her medical treatment that happened while she was out cold, and of course being tied down when she awoke had aggravated the situation. Piper had set up the bed she was in so that it stood on two legs, allowing her to view the world as if she was sitting down. 'Did he make it him self?' She thought, while he began collecting firewood. 'Compliments to his crafting skills. I have never been this comfortable.' Along with the fire wood Piper had piled up, he had also gathered some large stones from the river bed; Tayuya was not certain why, but hoped it involved something to eat.

"Do you mind cutting me loose?" Tayuya said when Piper returned with a batch of stones. He appeared to ignore her, placing the stones on the gathering pile. "Yes" He stated in return. Tayuya felt her temper rising. "But, it's only because it would hamper your recovery." Piper added, noticing the increase in her heart's tempo. "The stretcher is made to relieve all pressure from your broken back bone." He glanced at her, then said: "Stay put." As he walked down towards the river, disappearing behind the bank. 'Arsehole' Tayuya thought, watching him walk away. She could do nothing, and decided to keep her thoughts busy; thinking of ways to gut him in his sleep, she had no weapons and her flute is missing.

Down against the river bank, Piper had a change of wardrobe. The robe he had on was stained by Tayuya's blood, turning it purple across his shoulder. He changed into a clean robe, and tied the soiled one to a tree, letting it hang down in the river so the current could wash it over night. The current was not strong, but would be adequate for such use. The slow current had also aided him in his attempts to catch fish; with little sound interference he could spot fish that hid on the bottom of the river, spearing them with his sword as he provoked them into movement. When he had caught two large fish, letting the smaller ones go unharmed, Piper returned to the camp site. Piper appeared over the bank, two fish skewered onto what looked like a bladed staff. 'He has a sword?' Tayuya thought. 'That might make it easier.' She was considering her murderous thoughts. The sword was different from the typical quality found around these regions; appearing to be two blades tied hilt to hilt to form a staff like appearance. The hilts seemed to be made of bright gold, and the blades of silver; it was not like anything Tayuya had seen before. 'Well, at least he is going to prepare dinner.' Tayuya noticed the fish second, after assessing the stranger's sword.

"I hope you don't mind fish for dinner." Piper said. Tayuya shook her head, unaware of his handicap. Piper had heard the rustle of her soft hair swishing from side to side; he had noticed only now the length and quality of her hair, with a stubborn fringe shadowing her face. He took it as a no, and began to work on the camp fire. First though, Piper had removed all of his baggage which included; a traveler's back pack, a long flute, and his sword; placing it in his own corner of the camp. Tayuya noticed the flute with some interest; it was made of wood, was much longer and broader then her own, and had a small cloth sack tied to it. 'What kind of jutsus can he perform on that?' She thought. Piper began piling wood in the centre of the camp for the fire, making a pyramid and stacking it with the stones. Tayuya watched in dull curiosity, trying to make sense of Piper's construction. When he was finished setting up the fire, Piper collected pieces of dough from his back pack and placed it on the stones with the fish that he prepared. First by removing the scales of the fish, then dicing it and spicing it with herbs from his back pack. Tayuya watched quietly, waiting patiently for dinner to be served. Piper crouched next to the pile of wood, made a pattern of finger movements while Tayuya watched as his dark tan hands began to glow a hot, shimmering white, before a ray of light pulsed onto the wood and caused it to burst into flames. She was slightly amazed by the stranger's strange jutsu. It became obvious to her that he was not from around here; most of the things he did seemed foreign.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Tayuya asked, while Piper busily fanned the fire until it consumed all of the wood. Until now Tayuya had not noticed any details of the strange man, but in the light of the fire she was able to see more of him then she did before. His robe was similar as the one she had on now, probably a spare he had, and he wore a mask that covered his eyes and nose, and linen similar to that of his robe hung over the rest of his face. The mask had no eye slits; instead it was decorated with fake imprints of elegantly cornered eyes. It was made of high quality silver that seemed the same as the blades of his sword, and complimented the color of his robes; especially in the low gleam of the fire.

"No." Piper stated bluntly. "I was born in a very distant place, a place most are not familiar with." 'So, it can speak.' Tayuya thought to her self. The fire was burning lively now, and Piper had left it to burn by it self, sitting cross legged and leaning backwards on his arms. He appeared to be relaxing, but Tayuya could not read his facial expressions to be certain of that.

"Are you blind?" She asked, sounding kind of shy, reluctant to ask. Piper simply nodded to confirm. 'So, now she begins to speak.' He thought. 'I wonder; if she begins now, would she be able to shut up again?'

"I don't know your name." She said. Now that she was able to get him to talk, she did not want the conversation to die abruptly.

"I'm not surprised." Tayuya glared at him furiously. "What?!" She asked.

"I've heard rumors of your…" He paused a moment. "…bad manners. For once, rumors are true." Piper picked him self up, standing still for a moment. Tayuya stared at him, not sure if she should be angry or flattered about the rumors. She did try to maintain a ruthless image. "Besides, I have no name." Tayuya's stare turned to a frown.

"What kind of idiot has no name?" She asked. Piper ignored her; he had not the patience to explain. "Then what do people call you?"

"They don't." Tayuya's frown deepened.

"Why not?" She endeavored.

"Enough with the questions." Piper said. "I'm rather more concerned with getting you back on your feet." She glared for a moment and then decided if that is what he wants; besides it is easier to kill someone when their name is not familiar to you. "Fine." She said. "What do you intent to do, to make that happen?"

"It's more about what you are willing to do." Piper's voice turned cold, and there was a moment of silence as the fire crackled. 'I knew it.' Tayuya thought, disgusted. "Would you be willing to undergo a slightly dangerous operation?" She looked at him wide eyed.

'Oh, it's not like that.'

"How dangerous?" She asked.

"Don't tell me the fierce Tayuya is scared of a little danger." Piper said mockingly, followed by a soft cackling laugh. Tayuya's temper rose. "I'm not!" She snapped. "You dress wearing mother fu…"

"Good." Piper interrupted her. "It's not a dress." He added quickly. "And I have never seen my mother, so keep that kind of comments to your self."

"Really? Then why am I wearing one?" She said, a sharp smile forming. "It was all I had." He said glumly.

"It's a dress." She laughed. It was a sharp, sarcastic giggle; exactly what Piper would expect from this red headed kunoichi. "Can we move on?" Piper sounded irritated.

"If it would cure me, then sure." She said, still smiling.

"Yes it would." Piper said, walking slowly towards her. "But first, let's get something straight." Piper's voice deepened, sounding agrivatetly fierce. Tayuya's smile vanished slowly, her face twisted in between emotions of uncertainty, fear and anger. 'He can't be that angry about the dress comment.' She thought. 'Why would he care in any case, he is blind, he has an excuse.' Either way, she was stuck and if it came about that he was intent on laying down some unwritten law; or something else; she would not be able to defend her self.

"You owe me." Piper said, stalking her. "You owe me, not only your life, but also the life of a Leaf shinobi." She frowned, he came closer. Piper could hear her heartbeat gaining speed; her anger was awakening even more. He was now right in front of her, crouching down and leaning on his toes, staying just out of striking range. 'Quite frankly, the way I see it; you're my bitch." Piper grinned, though she could not see it. She was angry now; worse than a bee hive in the desert heat of the summer. Tayuya struggled furiously with the stretcher, desperately trying to attack the nameless dress wearer any possible way she could. Her efforts produced nothing, but cause her pain that brought her back to her senses. She glared at Piper from behind her ruffled fringe; it made Piper only grin more.

"However." He continued. "I will let it go, since we have a common enemy in the Leaf, but there is a price to pay; meager to what you owe me." She continued to stare at him, having nothing to say. 'So, she can shut up.' Piper thought.

"You will help me infiltrate the Leaf, but not in your current condition. So, if I cure you, it will only be because you agree to help me."

'That's fine.' Tayuya thought. 'Cure me, and I will gut you in your sleep.' She smiled.

"Tell me first." She replied after a moment's thought. "Why do I owe you a Leaf shinobi's life?" She seemed sincerely confused.

"Because I was intent of keeping you from their clutches, I had to return what I had taken from them." Piper said, hovering inches from her reach.

"Very well, I agree." She replied, lying back in the stretcher, aware of her own intent. "How are we going to infiltrate the Leaf?" She asked, blowing her fringe out of her eyes.

'Liar.' Piper noticed her pulse paced for a moment. 'None the less, I will make you keep to your agreement.' He thought.

"We shall discuss that later, over dinner perhaps." Piper stood up, retrieved his sword and medicinal bag out of his back pack. "First we need to heal you." Tayuya eyed his sword suspiciously as he approached. "This is a slightly dangerous procedure, that I have only performed on myself as of yet, but the results, if successful, is astounding. It can restore any bone to its former condition, within a few moments."

"If successful?" She asked.

"If it fails, you could die a rather unpleasant death." Piper attempted to sound as reassuringly as possible. "I have not failed yet."

"On yourself!" She reminded him. "How is this going to work?" She looked at the round bag in his hand, afraid that old human remains might fall out of it at any given time, and swallowed absent mindedly. He opened the bag and produced a small vile of thick, white liquid, caressing its exterior to be certain it was what he wanted; it was.

"It is a little something I gained from Kimimaro." He said, tapping the vile with a finger nail.

"Kimimaro?" Tayuya looked surprised. "How do you know him?"

"It was from a time before you knew him, before he fell ill." Piper answered. 'Now that he is dead, I should use it sparingly.' He made a mental note to himself. 'Rest in peace, friend.'

"What is it?" Tayuya looked disgusted. "Medicine." Piper said bluntly. "And, what are you going to do with it? Don't say I have to drink it."

"No, I'm going to inject you."

"What's so dangerous about that then?" Piper had not yet answered her; instead he stood up, lowered the stretcher and cut its straps with his sword, freeing Tayuya. She remained still, not daring to move while his sword was nearby. He placed it back in its sheath, on his back and crouched next to Tayuya, helping her to turn on her stomach.

"The dangerous part lies in knowing exactly what is going to take place." Piper said. "What I'm doing is lending you Kimimaro's blood limit abilities for a few moments, so your bone could heal rapidly. It's dangerous, because it is unnatural, but effective. The exact danger is if your body rejects the treatment, but through using extensive chakra, I'm able to control the procedure down to the point of isolating the specified area and forcing your body not to reject it. Any other means of application, and your body would undoubtedly reject it and self destruct." Tayuya had no reply, lying obediently still on her stomach. Piper began to focus his chakra and mind for the task ahead, and produced a small syringe which he filled with a very small amount of the white liquid. "Would you mind raising your…" 'Why not humor her?' Piper thought. "…dress?" He asked, making Tayuya smile. "Nothing stopped you before." She said.

"In my defense, you were bleeding to death." Piper replied. Tayuya raised her robe, aware of the fact that he could not see, but it did not prevent her from blushing uncontrollably. He placed his hands along her spine, probing with his fingers for the broken bone. His hands began moving closer to her tail end, stopping inches away; which felt like a hair breadth for her. She blushed even more; no one has ever touched her anywhere near where he does now, and she wished rather to be unconscious. Her face had been as red as her hair by the time she felt the prick of the needle, it was mostly painless, but with in a matter of seconds her entire body was flushed by intense pain and heat. Then it was over, and he pulled her robe back into place. "It's done." He said, leaning on his arm for a moment to catch his breath. "You should be able to move now." Her legs were restoring its senses with a tingling sensation that moved slowly down to her toes, and she could move her legs again, little by little.


	4. Chapter 2 Part 2

Part Two.

"Thank you." Tayuya said, stretching her legs.

"Oh, so you do have manners." Piper smiled. She paused a moment, realizing what she had said. She was sincerely grateful, and did not mind proving the rumors wrong. 'Don't think that this changes anything.' She thought to her self, glancing over at the food; it still had some time to go before it was ready. 'How does he cook food, being blind?' Piper was back at the fire, sitting in his relaxed position.

"Seriously. What is your name?" Tayuya asked, sitting across from him on the other side of the fire.

"I have no name." He stated in return. "But, people have referred to me as the Blind Piper, or Piper for short."

"Piper." She rolled it over her tongue, nodding. "How are you able to tell if the food is ready, being blind?" Tayuya asked out of sincere curiosity.

"It took me some time to learn how to do that effectively." Piper said after a moment's silence. "But I have learned it is in the timing. So, I construct what you can obviously see, and as soon as it collapses because of the wood being burned up, then I know the food is ready. The construction is different, according to what is being prepared of course."

"I see." Tayuya said, realizing too late about exactly what she said, and feeling a little like an arse for saying it. "Have you always been blind?"

"So far as I know, I was born blind." Piper said. "But, it is not entirely a birth defect as one would consider it to be. All the people of my tribe are blind, because; like Kimimaro; we too have a blood limit. Like Kimimaro, I am the last remnant of my kind. Or, should I say: as Kimimaro were."

"He's dead?" Tayuya asked shocked.

"I believe he died of natural causes, undoubtedly progressed by his clash with a Sand shinobi. He will be dearly missed." Piper said, fatigue from the operation setting in fast. He felt tired and mournful for his friend, longing only for rest. Why he had thought he would be able to stay for dinner, Piper did not know, but since he was here he might as well; although, to his own surprise, he would be willing to fight the fatigue only to keep Tayuya company. That thought disturbed him; he had never sought to keep any company, and even less of that from a rude person. He brushed it aside, hoping that ignorance would drive it away. Tayuya had become suddenly quiet; no doubt shocked by Kimimaro's passing.

Tayuya had not liked Kimimaro that much, only because he was Orochimaru's favorite, but his death did come as a sudden shock; she had thought he would never die, even when he fell ill it seemed to take forever. To think that some one from the Sand had killed him; or as Piper said, progressed his end; seemed unrealistic. However, Tayuya did not wish to dwell on such thoughts at the moment; she was interested in knowing more of her immediate company. She glanced at him thoughtfully, revising his last words.

"Is that what brings you to the Leaf?" Tayuya asked, driving the silence away. Piper was flushed with gratitude, hearing her voice again after the short silence. She had driven away the sorrowing thoughts of Kimimaro that plagued his mind, and for that he was grateful; if that was the only reason. He glanced in the direction of her voice, pondering quietly about the face it belonged to; he knew little in the way she appeared, except for her rumored red locks of hair, that he had perceived earlier as long and soft, but could perceive little else. Her breathing is methodically easeful and well controlled, almost as soft as her hair, which aided little in the way he perceived peoples features. Her voice was different; befitting the color of her hair; it was soft toned but always cheeky and sharp, almost as if it was made to sound perpetually offensive, but at the same time the soft tone of her voice made it seem as if she was hiding her true identity somewhere deep down. By her voice alone, Piper could tell she had not lived an easy life; but then again, no enemy of the Leaf ever did. What was it about the Leaf that always made them pick on the saddest of people? Piper's story was no different, and he was not intent on telling that to anyone, even if he liked their company. 'I wonder what her eyes look like. What color is it?' Piper thought, oblivious to the world around him. 'What does it matter, it's not like I can perceive color all the time.'

"Are you even listening!?" Tayuya snapped at him, startling him back to the present. "Would you like some tea?" He asked, feeling silly for asking. 'Well, I don't think she's the tea drinking kind.' He thought, and then added: "It's from the Land of Tea." She seemed indecisive and then nodded; Piper could hear the rustle of her hair against the collar of her robe. He jumped into action, grabbing a kettle from his back pack and then strolling to the river to fetch water; he tried to avoid her question, for the time being.

'And he said I had no manners.' Tayuya thought as Piper strolled down to the river. 'I think he heard, but did not want to talk about it; or he is just an arse like all the others.' She sighed. 'He does seem kind of different from the others, but I might just be under the wrong impression.' She glanced around the camp and saw he took his sword with him; still does not trust her, but neither would she. Her eyes landed on his flute. 'Would he mind?' She thought, yearning to pick it up and play a pointless tune, the way she practiced when alone. 'Maybe I should wait and ask first, I don't like it when people play with mine with out permission, or at all.' Her thoughts had startled her; did she really just think that, actually thinking of asking permission? She ignored herself and went ahead to play on it, but first curiously examined the contents of the cloth bag tied to the mouth piece. It had to be a coin purse, but held only a single coin; a large silver coin with Piper's face on the head, and a strange rune on the back. It seemed pointless to her; why would a blind man keep an image of himself; and she returned it to its rightful place. She placed the bag aside, and began playing a song; a slow, sorrowful song, channeling thoughts of Kimimaro. The flute sounded beautiful, rich and full; she considered taking it off his corpse later. She would miss her own; which was a special gift; but this one could easily replace it. The day's events that she did not appreciate; from the fight against that groping shadow bender, being tied up, almost dying, and the realization of being alone again; washed away as she played, achieving absolute harmony. She felt tranquil and content only when she was on her own, sitting somewhere no one could find her, and playing a pointless melody. She was caught in the moment, and did not realize Piper had returned to camp. He crept in silently, listening intently in on Tayuya's song. He was down by the river when he heard it, attempting to drown all the strange thoughts he's had recently, but the sudden appearance of her song did not help him. Instead he found himself fascinated by her skills; he played, but had not been as well practiced as she, he learned. Yet, strangely enough, the emotional tremor of losing a close friend had begun to dissipate the more he listened in on the music she produced. 'She has a natural talent.' He thought to himself, captured by the melody. As he came into camp, Piper realized he could make out the contours of her face, due to the high presence of sound in the vicinity of her vision. She had sharp, slender features; as far as he could tell; and appeared far kinder than she acted. Tayuya became aware of Piper when he placed the kettle on the stones, next to the food; her eyes had been closed so she could listen attentively to the sounds she produced. She stopped playing; to Piper's dismay; and looked at him, feeling self conscious and a little shy. She hesitated to continue, and wanted to put the flute down. "Don't stop." Piper said. "Its not often I get to hear something quite like the way you play." Tayuya did not want to continue however, and placed the flute back where she found it, despite feeling flattered. It was not exactly because she did not want to, it was that she had to maintain her image; not that he would understand. She said nothing, and took her place again by the fire side. Piper felt disappointed, but did not want to force her to do anything; except stick to her agreement. He went ahead with the tea preparations, making an entire kettle that he hoped lasted the night; if it would be a silent night, it might not last.

"Why don't you play for us?" Tayuya suggested. "It's not often that I get to meet a fellow musician. I would like to hear you play." The tea was placed on the hot stones and left to boil. 'I have never heard a blind person play before, and it might be interesting to hear.' Tayuya thought, waiting to see Piper play. He thought 'Why not, I might as well repay her in kind.'

"You should be warned though I'm not as well practiced as you." Piper said, moving to pick up his flute. He waited a moment, searching for the bag that was tied to the flute and found it resting on his back pack; he had made no notion to examine its contents. 'So, he trusts me.' Tayuya thought. Piper sat down by the fire, crossing his legs for comfort and began playing as the flute disappeared behind the blue linen of his mask. Tayuya paid close attention to his technique, and found that he was more practiced then he gave himself credit for. The song he had chosen; a hymn he had learned was native to his people and was lodged among some of his oldest memories; started amidst the lowest notes that the flute could produce and moved gradually through to the higher notes in a slow but content pace. Tayuya had her thoughts drifted away on the melody of the song, imagining that this was the kind of music that would accompany the long, but brief, existence of a patient yet energetic storm that ravaged the country sides of villages for days at end. It was ominously dark, presenting a tense atmosphere followed by days of destructive flooding and the possibility of hail; it was the kind of weather she liked, and now it was apparent also the type of music she liked. Piper had a substantial air capacity, but it was obvious to her that he did not use his flute in combat a lot; yet there was the possibility that he had a few hidden skills with his flute. The one thing that Tayuya had noticed, and came to admire, about his technique, was the clear quality of each note he produced; not a single one was produced with faults or impurities. Piper continued his song; known to him as the hymn of the scorpions; while the fire crackled and made the shadows dance against the trees, bushes, rocks and across the river's clear waters and the field's long grass, until his ears were interrupted by the low hiss of steaming water. He ignored it so he could finish the passage, feeling obligated to complete the song before he served the tea. Tayuya, whose eyes had been closed while she drifted on distant dreams, slowly opened her eyes when the sounds of Piper's flute died, the melody residing in her thoughts. She had been taken by Piper's beautiful song, and music such as the piece she just heard had been the reason she endeavored to play her self. Piper had sidled over to his back pack, rummaging for cups and plates he stored. He placed it ready and served the tea, which steamed gently in the cool, river air. Piper presented Tayuya with her cup, that she had not hesitated to take, took his own and placed the tea with in reach of either one's hands. He had put away his flute as both remained quiet, sipping on their tea while the fish simmered on the hot stones.

One thing Tayuya adored more than good music, fierce weather, and company that remained quiet when there was reason to be; such as the following moments after an enchanting song; was a good cup of tea. She preferred hers generously sweetened with added flavor of mint or lemon; Piper had just surprised her wildest expectations. His tea was much better than his music, and his music deserved several compliments; none that she could give though, she had to maintain her reputation after all. She gladly sipped her tea, savoring it as much as possible, glancing at her company in between sips. He seemed to be enjoying his tea as well, lost somewhere distant in thought. 'I might actually like him.' Tayuya thought. 'Too bad he has to die.'

It had been some time before the food was ready, by which time the kettle had been half emptied. Both of them had remained quiet through the many refills, indulging in their own private thoughts. Piper had not expected that the night would be this long, had he known he would have preferred something else to eat. He was heavily fatigued and hungry by the time they had eaten, as he had not eaten the whole day, expecting to fill up on something that the Leaf could have sold him. Tayuya was hungry, having missed out on the day's meals and chewed down eagerly. Piper's food was as well prepared as his tea, and had hit the right spot, filling her empty stomach; she had even helped her self to seconds of the bread that baked with the fish. Piper had mentioned during dinner that he was not keen on fish, and would hunt for something better in the morning, but Tayuya had seemed pleased with what he prepared. Despite a few lonely words during dinner, they had been quiet during most of the meal, their mouths too busy to really talk. Piper had thought of moving the infiltration discussing to a later time, being too tired to remain awake too late. Tayuya, despite resting for long periods during the day, had also fallen prey to fatigue; not forgetting about her plans though. After Piper had cleaned up around the camp; putting away all of the things he had used during the passage of the night; he had retired to his corner to rest, propping his head against his back pack and laying in the dust until he had fallen asleep. Tayuya had kept her eyes closely on his sword, which he had laid down an arms length from his side when he went to sleep. She crawled into the stretcher bed so she could go to sleep; or rather pretend to sleep; waiting until Piper fell asleep. The stretcher was comfortable, and it proved some task to stay awake, but Tayuya had managed. All the while it appeared that Piper had not suspected anything of her intentions, and this had served her well.

The fire had perished before they had called it a night and all that remained was ashes that produced a feint after glow of light. Tayuya knew it would require effort in order to sneak up to Piper, because of his acute hearing; of which she was not sure how sensitive it was. None the less she had made her attempt and succeeded in crawling up to him and taking his sword in the process, paying close attention to any reactions that might indicate that he was awake. He did not snore; not if heavy breathing could be considered as snoring; but seemed fast asleep, unaware of Tayuya's approach. She was hovering near his ears, paying attentive care not to produce any sound; not even taking the slightest of breaths; while moving the tip of one end of the sword's blades to his throat, intent on driving it through his skull from underneath his jaw. This method was the most effective as it not only ensured the kill, but was also easy to perform as this way provided the softest resistance and would be swiftly over; it also did not allow the victim to produce any sound, or cause too much blood spatter. She was going to enjoy this, as proven by the sly smile present on her face. The sword moved easefully; she noted the quality and lightness of the weapon that most other weapons she had tried did not have, and that was the reason she preferred her flute in combat. The tip of the blade halted millimeters from his tan skin, Tayuya hovering over him soundlessly; this was the part that she only had to thrust forward, and feel how the blade would cut through the soft skin and tissue – the part she savored. However hesitation had befallen her hand, she did not want to move despite having the will to do what she enjoyed most; killing. It felt as if she was caught again by that groping little shit's shadow jutsu, but was aware that nothing was involved but her own thoughts. The sword remained absolutely still, poised to strike but hesitant. 'Why?' She thought. 'Why can I not kill him? Sure, he had been nothing but kind, humoristic, and accepted my company with out resistance, despite what people said about me; which is all only half truths; but he did tie me up, threaten to kill me and undress me. Yet, he had saved my life, kept me from the justice of the Leaf, and had clothed me again, and fed me; with rather good food I should add…' 'What?! What was this? Arguing with my self? Really? That would be more like Sakon and Ukon, not me. I have done this so many times, what would make this any different?'

"Go ahead, what are you waiting for? Do it already." Piper's voice startled her with words that she was familiar with, that she had used earlier in the day. 'Damn it!' Tayuya thought. 'Why did I have to hesitate?' The sword remained in place, poised to strike.

"Why do you hesitate?" Piper asked in a whisper.

"Curiosity." It was all Tayuya could think to say. She felt embarrassed; now she seemed a real dirt bag for attempting to kill a kind, blind man in his sleep, and a coward for failing.

"Really, about what?" Piper asked, his hand had moved and was now clutching the sword and moving it away. His hand was positioned on the hilt just above hers, and his fingers touched hers – her heart skipped, but only slightly. "You know, you could only have asked. You certainly had no need to threaten an answer out of me." He sounded sincere; having noticed her embarrassment, he tried to brush her deeds out by the door with a little humor. He also noticed how her heart had skipped, but thought it to be only shock, alerted by him moving the blade out of a harmful position; it was close enough to shave his skin.

"I was just wondering why you have a coin with your face on it." Tayuya asked, again it was all she could think of.

"I do? You know, I've never really seen it." He said; she did not laugh, and he sighed. "That? Well, I could see why you would have needed to threaten that answer out of me. But, seeing as you did, I would have to tell you, except that it is a rather long and dark story." The sword had been placed back where it had lain before, and Tayuya had retracted her hand quickly. "Perhaps better suited for the morning." Piper suggested. "Go back to sleep, we could have a busy day ahead of us." Tayuya had said nothing and sulked back to her bed, she did not want to see him or speak to him, she felt too much of a fool, but the one thing that preoccupied; and worried; her thoughts, was her reaction when he had touched her. It was…strange; something like this had never happened to her before. She crept into bed; her back turned to Piper, and fell asleep after a few minutes of serious thinking. She was in a slight predicament; she did not want to stay, but he was under the impression she was going to keep to her agreement, and not to mention what had taken place and how it might influence everything. However, she had no other place to be; Orochimaru had left her, and all the members of the Sound shinobi five, to die this day, and would not welcome them back, assuming they are dead.

'What now?' Plagued her thoughts.

"Why did I hesitate?' Piper thought. 'It would have taken a single strike to her jugular, or the side of her head to end her life. The nerve, creeping up to a blind man while he slept. Why did I hesitate the first time I had a chance to end her life? Why did I even save someone of her kind? More importantly, how am I going to treat this? She is not going to keep to her agreement, and I don't actually need her help, even though her assistance would have been appreciated. However, one is not to judge by first deeds, correct? If Harleem had done that, would I have come this far? What is the underlying question here? What…now? How am I supposed to get the answers I seek, how would I get into the Leaf? How do I – don't even think about it – keep her from leaving?' At which point Piper had gone insane once more, and decided it would be best to sleep these thoughts out of his head.


End file.
